Scars of the Past (17 page)

“Wait, so you guys never even slept together?”

She rolled her eyes. “God, no. He was too wasted. The only way I was even able to get him into my bed was by telling him his precious
Madelyn
would be there.”

Elizabeth stepped close to me, pointing a perfectly manicured finger in my face. “You ruined everything.”

I took several deep breaths, trying to contain the rage that I felt. Elizabeth had lied, and because of that one stupid lie, everything had snowballed from there. I finally lost the war with myself, and opened my mouth to unload on her, but I didn’t have to.

“Get out of my home.” The voice startled us, and we both jumped. I turned to see Josh standing in the doorway, his body tense and his face angry. I’d only seen his face that scary one other time, and that was the night at the bar.

Elizabeth froze, probably trying to decide how much he’d heard. She collected herself and the fake smile reappeared on her face.

“Joshy! We need to talk.” She glanced back at me. “Alone.”

“You need to get out of my home before I called the police.” He moved aside so she would have room to get through the door. “Get out of here and stay out of my life.”

Elizabeth’s face faltered and she looked unsure for the first time. She stepped by him and turned around once she was outside.

“I’m sorry, but you and I would have been a power couple. You never even gave it a chance.”

Josh turned to face her. “That woman inside my house is the only one I want to be with, and I hate you for taking so much time away from us.”

He slammed the door shut and leaned his forehead against it, breathing heavily.

I stayed still for a moment before moving to where he was and circling my arms around him, my cheek resting between his shoulder blades. After a moment he turned in the embrace and pulled me close.

“I love you. I am so sorry for all of the drama that’s happened because of her.”

I looked up at him, and shook my head. “Remember, we’re together now, and that’s all that matters, right?”

“Right.”

Chapter Twenty-Two

Josh’s work schedule continued to be erratic to the point where he was just exhausted. He had started going in by 5:00 am just to make sure he got off by dinnertime.

He would try to be as quiet as possible in the mornings, but I still woke up before he left.  I tried to tell him it wasn’t a big deal, but he knew that I still had some sleep issues and felt guilty over it.

One morning after he had woken me up, he sat next to me on the bed and ran a frustrated hand through his hair.

“I’m sorry. The bugs are almost all worked out of this and I can go back to my normal hours. In the meantime, I’m going to sleep at my place and you’re going to sleep here.”

I pouted and protested, but he wouldn’t change his mind. He’d come over to the apartment right after work to eat dinner and spend some time with me before going back to his place. The weekends we would stay together, but the weeknights were terrible. I slept better when I had Josh in bed with me, and so I was ready to argue it was basically a stalemate.

At the end of January, we were a week and a half into our new sleeping arrangement and I sat up in bed slowly, confusion washing over me. I’d become so accustomed to having Josh next to me that sleeping without him was weird. I glanced at the clock and wrinkled my nose as it read 5:15 am. I didn’t have the nightmares anymore, but any little noise would wake me up. It was getting old, and but it was Friday, which meant I had both weekend nights to try to talk him into abandoning this ridiculous plan.

The sun wasn’t up yet, but I didn’t feel like falling back asleep was an option. I threw my legs over the side of the bed and stood up, stretching my arms over my head. I picked up my cell phone and text Josh, knowing he’d be awake already, probably at the office.

I walked down the hallway towards the kitchen and shivered. Amanda’s obsession with having the heat turned down made the apartment feel like an igloo some mornings.

I set my phone on the back of the couch and rounded the counter into the kitchen. To my surprise, there was a man in only his boxers with his back to me as he looked through the refrigerator.

I sighed quietly. “You must be Sydney’s latest conquest.”

He startled for a second, not expecting anyone either, and turned around as the fridge door shut, cutting off most of the light except for the small nightlight plugged in near the stove.

I looked at him for a moment as my eyes adjusted to the dark, but he didn’t say anything. A slow smile crept onto his face and he said, “Maddie.”

I furrowed my brow in confusion, but he took a step forward and I gasped.  He was clean shaven, his goatee gone, and is hair was also shorter, but the eyes were the same.

I took a step back, shaking my head, and my mouth opened and closed but nothing came out.

“This is a surprise. She mentioned she had roommates but I never would have guessed.” He continued to step towards me until my legs hit the couch behind me.

“Please,” I whispered, finally finding my voice. “Please. I won’t tell anyone. Just go.”

He laughed and shook his head. “You broke my nose, did you know that?”

I didn’t say anything, and he closed the last bit of distance between us. We were close enough now that I could feel the heat radiating off his body. The smell of cigarettes clung to him, and I instantly felt sick to my stomach.

“You did. And I think you owe me for that.”

My eyes widened and I opened my mouth to scream, but his hand clasped over it quickly, and he put his other arm around my waist pulling me to him tightly so that I couldn’t move. I tried to push my hands against him, but they were sandwiched between us. I thought of the stun gun Matthew had given me, but it was tucked in my purse back in my room.

“You might want to think twice about screaming. Do you know how quick snapping a neck can be?” He dropped his hand from my mouth and ran it down to my collar bone. I could feel his erection growing against my stomach and bile rose in my throat.

“Wouldn’t you hate it if I had to hurt your friends when they ran out here?”

My breathing was coming out in short bursts, and I tried not to cry. I thought about Sydney and immediately wondered if she was okay, or if he had hurt her at all.

“Yeah, I thought so.” His hand moved from my neck down to our waists and pulled my shirt up to above my belly button, and the first tear trickled down my face. He moved his hand to his boxers and freed himself, pushing his erection into my bare stomach. I tried to back away from him, but he had me caged against the couch.

“I’ve been thinking about you since, and dying for a chance to get back inside you. I think I promised that you’d be on your hands and knees, didn’t I?” He grabbed a handful of hair and pushed his mouth against mine, his tongue moving against my mouth like an invader. I kept my lips squeezed together, and my stomach rolled uneasily.

He pulled my hair tighter and smiled as he pulled his face back. “If you can be a good girl, I can make you feel fantastic like last time. You remember, right?”

A muffled sob left my mouth and I shook my head. “Please, don’t. Just leave us alone.”

He flipped me around so that I was facing the couch, my hands resting on the back of it.

“I love when you beg. God, it’s hot.” He pushed my shirt up so that it was bunched at my shoulders, leaving me feeling exposed with just my underwear between us. He trailed his hands up my back and reached around front and squeezed my breasts roughly.

I bit my lip, wanting to scream but fearing for the others. And then I noticed that my phone was still resting on the back of the couch where I left it, two inches from my hand.

He was distracted, one hand still on my breast as the other pulled at the top of my underwear. I grabbed my phone and pushed it down between two cushions so that he couldn’t see it and I swiped it slowly. I pushed Josh’s name and held my breath, listening intently.

“I don’t have any condoms this time, sweet thing, since my clothes are in with your friend, but you don’t mind do you?” He continued pushing my underwear down to my ankles.

I faintly could hear Josh saying something over the phone, probably confused about why I wasn’t responding. I squeezed my thighs together as the man behind me straightened up, and I reached up to wipe the tears that were running down my face.

“Please don’t. Not again.” My voice wavered, but I tried to speak loudly, hoping Josh could hear and would figure it out. “Please just leave me alone.”

He grabbed my hair again, pulling my head back, and I let out a light scream. He pushed his body into mine and I could feel his bare penis pushing into the small of my back.

“Are you trying to wake you friends? Do you want me to have to kill you all?”

I shook my head as best I could with him holding my head back and he released my hair. He rubbed a hand down my ass before attempting to pull my thighs apart.

“No, don’t” I grabbed my phone in one hand and turned quickly, bringing my fist up to his face as forcefully as I could. I took him by surprise because he stumbled back a step, but it was only for a second.

I tore off towards my room and brought the phone to my ear. “Josh, please, he’s here!” My voice was shrill, and I hardly recognized it.

“Maddie, I’m coming. Get some place where you can…” I didn’t hear the rest of what he said as a hand wrapped around my knee and brought me to the ground. The phone fell out of my hand and slid into the bathroom door.

I felt his body slide on top of mine, and he twisted my arm behind my back as I cried out in pain. I could feel his hard erection against my bare ass, and I tried to buck him off me. His used his free hand and his knees to pry my legs apart.

“I’m going to take you right here on this floor, there’s no use in struggling.” I could tell he had his teeth clenched as he talked, but I refused to go down without a fight.

I kicked my legs and tried to swing my free hand back to hit him. He reacted, pulling back on my trapped arm and I felt my wrist break behind me. I moaned in agony and stopped fighting as the pain surged through me.

He flipped me over, and gone was the evil, playful look, rage replacing it. He straddled me to pin my bottom half down, and one of his hands put pressure on my ribcage, immobilizing me. He used his free hand to slap the side of my face.

“Why can’t you just do as you’re told?”

I whimpered in pain, holding my injured arm to my side. I squirmed underneath him, trying to get out of his grasp and I brought my uninjured hand up in a feeble attempt to push him off.

“Get off of me!”

This time he made a fist and struck my face again, the force of it made me dizzy almost instantly.

I let my head fall backwards on the carpet and I tried to keep my eyes open. He raised his fist again, and with the second punch darkness engulfed me.

–––

The ache in my head was the first thing I registered when I woke up. Slowly, the pain in my arm and chest worked its way in there too. I tried to open my eyes, but they felt weighted down under the throbbing pain. It smelled sterile around me, and I heard the beeping of a machine. The other noises of a hospital infiltrated my senses, as I realized that’s probably where I was. Someone had my left hand held tightly in theirs, and I tried to feebly grip it.

Whoever was sitting next to me jumped at my movement, and I felt the bed shift as they moved.

“Madelyn?” Josh’s voice came out like a whisper near my face, and he tightened his hold on my hand. “Madelyn? Can you hear me?” His voice cracked on the last word, and I wanted to reach out and comfort him.

I tried to say something, but instead of words a low moan escaped my mouth when my lips wouldn’t cooperate. I attempted to squeeze his hand again and willed my eyes to open, but it didn’t work.

I heard him sigh, probably in relief. “Oh my love, if you can hear me just know you’re okay. You’re going to be fine.” His warm fingers ran down my face and stopped on my cheek.

I used whatever strength I had left to grasp his hand again and let the darkness take me back.

This time when I woke up, there was no one holding my hand, but my head was still throbbing. I tried to open my eyes, and this time I had some success, but immediately had to close them because of the bright lights.

“Mom, I think I just saw her eyes flutter.” Matthew’s voice came from the end of the bed and he sounded a mix of tired and excited.

“Oh!” My mom’s voice came from the left and suddenly her hand had grabbed mine. “Matthew, turn the lights down. They’re probably hurting her eyes.”

I silently thanked her mother’s intuition because it was, once again, right.

I tried opening my eyes again, and although the light in the room was a lot dimmer, it took me several tries before I was finally able to pry them open.

I couldn’t figure out what was wrong, but something was off. I reached my left hand up to touch my eye and my mom stopped me.

“No baby, its swollen shut. Don’t touch it.”

I could hear Matthew on the phone, speaking in low tones, telling someone I was awake.

“Mom,” I croaked, my throat feeling raw.

She had tears running down her face, and she looked exhausted. Her pink scrubs were wrinkled like she’d been in them for a while, but she tried to bring a small smile to her face.

“Do you remember what happened, sweetie?”

I tried to nod, but my head felt extremely heavy. “He was in my apartment. Came home with Sydney. Said he’d kill Sydney and Amanda if I screamed.” My voice sounded weak, and my words were slow.

She nodded, wiping her face. “He hit you quite a few times, and broke your arm.”

“Sydney. He hurt her?” I tried to swallow, hoping that it would help the fire in my throat, but my mouth was so dry.

“Sydney is fine, Madelyn, he didn’t hurt her or Amanda.”

“Mom. Mom, did he…?” I felt a single tear leak out my open eye.

“Oh baby, no. He didn’t get a chance. After he realized you were unconscious, he tried to leave. Went back to Sydney’s room, grabbed his clothes, and was heading to the front door when Josh got there.” She brought a tissue to my face and dabbed my eye for me.

“Josh? Is he okay?”

Mom smiled a real smile. “Josh is fine; the other guy has a broken nose, three broken ribs, and a concussion. He couldn’t go right to jail- they had to take him to the hospital first.”

I tried to smile, but I was so tired. “They caught him.”

Matthew came over to the other side of the bed and kissed my forehead.

“Yup, and so you don’t need to be scared anymore. But you still need to carry that stun gun.” He gave me a look of mock anger. “Why didn’t you use it, dork?”

My eye closed as I fought the battle to stay awake. “Was in my room. Sorry Matty.”

The last thing I remembered hearing was his low laugh.

When I woke again, the pain in my head was still very obvious, but my eyelid responded quicker than last time. The lights were still off, but the company in the room had changed. Amanda and Sydney were both asleep in chairs at the opposite side of the room, leaning on each other. Josh was in the chair on my left hand side, the one mom had been in, and he was lying with his head near my thigh, his fingers wrapped around my ankle.

I reached my unbroken wrist out and attempted to tousle his curly hair, but the arm felt like lead, and instead my hand rest on his cheek. I watched as his eyes opened slowly, and once he realized I was watching him, he sat up quickly.

“Madelyn.” The way he said my name was like he had been completely fulfilled with that one word.

“Hi.” I whispered, the hoarseness in my voice even more pronounced this time.

He held my hand to his cheek, and kissed my palm gently.

“I’ve never been more scared in my life than when I got that phone call.”

“I’m sorry,” But I had barely spoken the word when he started shaking his head.

“Please don’t ever say you are sorry for any of this.”

“Mom said you got there when he was leaving?” I tried again to swallow, in an attempt to relieve the pain in my throat, but it didn’t help.

Josh nodded and he held my hand with both of his.

“He’s such a coward. I opened the door so suddenly it scared him, and I was confused at first because he was leaving. He swung at me and I dodged, but hit him in the stomach. When he stumbled back I saw he had blood on his fists and I… God, if the police hadn’t showed up I probably would have killed him.”

He looked down and took a deep breath. “They pulled me off of him, and I saw Sydney standing in her door way, so confused. But then Amanda screamed from the hallway and I rushed over there while the cops took care of him.”

Josh turned his face from me, and wiped his eyes on his sleeve before looking back at me.

“You looked dead.” His voice broke and I instantly wanted to wrap my arms around him and comfort him.

“There was blood all over your face and the floor, and I just froze as Amanda held your limp body screaming. It wasn’t until a police officer rushed over and told us that you were breathing that I finally breathed again.”

“I have a hard head.” I gave him the best smile I could manage, but winced when the pain hit my face.

Josh let go of my hand for a moment and picked up a cup off the tray at the foot of the bed. He brought the straw to my lips and the fire in my throat died down as the wet water hit it.

I released the straw and sighed in relief, the action hurting my chest.

“Thank you. How bad am I?”

“They were worried about brain swelling the most, but it only swelled a little and went back down on its own. You have a bruised lung, so they kept a tube down your throat for a bit. Your wrist is broken- were you awake for that?”